Picture-taking has long been a subject of interest to both amateurs, as well as to professional photographers, and much effort and money is devoted to its pursuit each year. In view of such interest, the industry supporting photographic activity has designed a wide variety of equipment intended to respond to the needs of individuals so engaged. Cameras have, for example, been designed for taking studio portraits; for underwater picture-taking; for casual, candid photography, and for other uses too numerous to mention. Each of these environments presents different camera design issues and objectives, and considerable ingenuity has been expended on such designs.
In the case of informal photography, for example, photographic opportunities frequently occur in locations and situations requiring that the cameras employed to capture them be rugged and readily portable since they must usually be carried for consisderable distances in a relatively exposed condition, and for extended periods of time. While it is desirable to protect such cameras from injury during this time, and inasmuch as photographic opportunities often present themselves unexpectedly, it is also necessary that cameras designed for taking candid pictures be rapidly and easily deployed in their picture-taking mode. Furthermore, since photographic subjects are commonly encountered in adverse lighting conditions, it is desirable that cameras employed in informal photography be inherently capable of supplying supplemental lighting.
In view of the needs described, a variety of smaller cameras have been designed for casual or candid photography. Many such cameras, however, require the attachment of external flash devices which is often time-consuming. In addition, separate flash equipment is not only cumbersome, but it necessitates the carrying of additional equipment.
To overcome these drawbacks, some cameras have been designed with so-called "built-in" flash units, these being associated with the cameras as an integral part thereof. Unfortunately, however, built-in flash units are often undesirably large, and in some instances, the flash units are located so close to the optical axis of the camera's objective lens that the pupils of the eyes of those being photographed display an objectionable reddish-tint, producing pictures marred by what is termed by photographers as "red-eye". The phenomenon is attributable to the reflection into the camera lens of red light reflected from the retina of eyes illuminated by such flash units.
Other cameras, for instance, those shown in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,763, have attempted to overcome some of the problems described by providing an automatically deployable, folding flash unit, attached directly to the camera. Again, however, such designs have often required more bulky cameras to accommodate storage of the flash unit in its inactive position. Furthermore, some components of cameras with built-in flash units are vulnerable to damage, due to their exposed position on the camera, even when the camera is disposed in its storage mode.
Still additional cameras have been proposed, for example, that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,519, which include an integral flash unit and other camera components essential to the picture-taking process that are automatically deployed when the camera is unfolded for use, but which fold into a protected, enclosed position when the camera is disposed in its storage mode. A common drawback of these cameras, however, stems from the fact that they tend to be relatively complicated, involving extensive operating structure and numerous component parts. As a consequence, such cameras are prone to operational difficulties and are oftentimes expensive. Furthermore, cameras of the type described are often more bulky, and therefore, inconvenient to carry about and to hold during the photographic process.